Raising awareness of abuse and the proper disposal of prescription drugs will get special attention over the summer by the state Legislature's Health and Human Services Interim Committee.

Citing Utah's third-place ranking nationally for the incidence of overdoses and deaths from prescription drugs, committee members agreed Wednesday that closer examination of the state's other drug problem warranted immediate attention and possible legislation to counteract.

"A lot of Utahns seem to think that because a doctor has prescribed a medication, they're safe from abuse or overdose," said Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake. "We need to take a more comprehensive approach and raise public awareness."

One aspect that hasn't been addressed is the proper disposal of prescription medications, said Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, noting that the "pioneer spirit" of setting aside and saving is a factor in the improper use of prescription drugs.

A little-known side-effect of prescription-drug use is that people will get rid of excess pills by washing them down the sink or flushing them into the water-treatment system, said Rep. Christine Johnson, D- Salt Lake. The problem is that many of the chemicals in the drugs aren't eliminated in the wastewater-treatment process. The hormone estrogen, for example, that is used widely by post-menopausal women, is not filtered out in the treatment process, enters streams and is being shown to be sterilizing male fish.

"We've got to do more to provide and make people aware of appropriate disposal methods," Johnson said.

A number of other issues will be reviewed over the summer, including the size and scope of the state's human-services programs. Department director Lisa-Michelle Church said some $28 million in budget cutbacks have been implemented, but "the message is loud and clear" that lawmakers imposed them not just for economic reasons but because of philosophical concerns about the scope and purpose of the department.

"Our biggest problem we need addressed is what the expectations are for human services, and I need some policy decisions on your part so that we know what services you want," Church said, noting that with 180 full-time positions cut, the department is too thin to operate services effectively.

She noted that none of the 4,000 disabled Utahns on a waiting list who qualify for various state assistance programs have received any help since cutbacks were implemented during a special session this past September.

"We really need to figure out where we're going with these social safety-net programs," Church said.

E-MAIL: jthalman@desnews.com